Steve Wilson

Ex-triallist ‘surprised’ he wasn’t offered Pompey deal

Patrick Agyemang will become Pompey’s first signing of the summer after agreeing a two-year deal to join the club.

The 32-year-old striker has penned a pre-contract with the Blues and will officially become a Pompey player on July 1 when his contract with Stevenage expires and he becomes a free agent.

Boss Guy Whittingham expressed his delight at the first capture of what promises to be a very busy summer and admitted the signing of Agyemang was his main priority as he builds a squad for next season’s League Two campaign.

Whittingham said: ‘It’s fantastic. I think everybody saw what Patrick brought to the team during his time with us.

‘When he is fit, confident and playing well, he is a massive asset to us.

‘We’re delighted to get it done.

‘He was one of my priorities and, importantly, he fell within our budget.

‘We are not going to go mad at this. We have to do it sensibly and we have to make sure we are within the budget that has been set by the new board and the terms of the Football League.

‘We still owe people money so we have to be careful about that and it’s really important that we all remember that going forward.

‘But it’s a very good deal for us. We’re delighted to get him.

‘I think he had one or two offers from other clubs.

‘But he liked his time with us, he knows how we work and he was keen to get something done.

‘We were obviously pleased to get something done as well.’

Former QPR hitman Agyemang became a crowd favourite towards the end of the campaign as his match fitness and confidence returned.

He scored three goals in 15 appearances and struck up a promising partnership with David Connolly after joining on loan from Stevenage in February.

Most Blues fans will see Agyemang as a vital part of the team for next season.

While Whittingham was not prepared to go into details on other negotiations, he revealed he is close to sealing at least four more signings.

And the Pompey manager also admitted he has plenty more on the go – some of whom would be new faces at Fratton Park, rather than those who were recently on short-term deals.

Whittingham said: ‘I’m really pleased with how it’s going.

‘We are quite far down the line with a few others as well. We are making some good progress.

‘We are probably pretty close on another four and I’m working on another maybe five or six.

‘A few of those are players who haven’t been with us – not just players who have been with us during the season.

‘I’ve said I would like to keep them all but I haven’t offered everyone a deal yet.

‘It all depends on the budget. I want to keep them all but whether I can is another thing.

‘It’s about fitting people into the budget and that’s why it will take a while.

‘There are players you would love to get within your budget and we can’t at the moment.